The Anok Banquet
by Tori9226
Summary: Cute little oneshot about B&B at the Anok Banquet.


Brennan fidgeted in her chair. She was next to speak and she absolutely _hated_ public speaking. Beside her sat Booth; he noticed her nervousness and smiled.

They were at the banquet for her finding about Anok: The Boy with the Bleeding Heart. The pair currently sat in the ballroom, along with the rest of the forensic team, a few FBI agents who helped with the case, several scholars and people who came to see the brand new exhibit. The grand room had been transformed into an Egyptian palace. The warm colors of the desert were splashed all over. Blue and gold lanterns hung from the ceiling in rows. Paintings of Egyptian life decorated the walls, several done by Angela. One side of the room was lined with tables covered golden tablecloths. The other side of the room was left open as a dance floor. The front of the room was home to a large stage with a podium at which Cam currently stood.

Cam was giving a brief (well, maybe not _that_ brief) overview of their previous case; from the discovery of the remains, to the discovery of Dr. Kaswell's body. She was nearing the end of her speech, which meant Brennan was next. She exhaled nervously, which cause Booth to cast a questioning look at her. He placed his hand over hers and leaned over to her.

"Bones – you will do fine," he whispered.

This gesture seemed to calm her down, making Booth smile. Cam concluded her speech, and Brennan made her way to the stage. Booth smiled as he watched her move. He couldn't get over how beautiful she looked in that little black dress. As she spoke, Booth kept running through their talk they had down in the Anok exhibit. He had almost kissed her until everybody had come downstairs. He was still irritated about that – it seemed like there was just never a good time to ask her about their…relationship? Was that the right word? He loved her. They had been through so much together – especially in the last year alone; what with another encounter with the Gravedigger, his brain tumor and several very rough cases. They had gotten much closer over the past few years.

He had never been able to get the night he asked her to be together out of his head. It killed him that she said no. He was very hesitant to bring up the subject of them again, but lately he had been getting signs that she was ready to take up to the next level. He just had no idea if he was ready to put himself out there like that again.

Brennan spoke about the find, the case, and the importance of the mix of modern and old techniques that allowed them to find Anok innocent of his brother's death. She concluded her speech and the crowd applauded.

"You did great Bones," Booth said as she sat back down beside him.

"Thanks Booth," she seemed to brighten up at his praise.

Several waiters began to bring out large trays of food to the banquet guests. As the food slowly disappeared, music began to echo throughout the hall. Booth set his wine glass down and looked at Brennan when she perked up at the sound of a slower song with a beautiful melody.

"Oh I love this song," Brennan said.

"Well come on then Bones; let's dance," Booth offered out his hand.

Brennan smiled and, somewhat shyly, took his hand. He led her to the dance floor and wrapped on arm around her waist while placing his other hand over hers, which was rested on his chest. Her other hand was placed over his bicep. He led her back and forth to the rhythm of the music.

"Did I really do alright when I spoke Booth?" Brennan asked quietly, looking up at him.

"Bones you did great," he said. "You always do fine."

"Yes, but public speaking never has been a strong point for me."

Booth smiled, and slowly began to spin them around. He pulled her just a little closer and inhaled the scent of her coconut shampoo.

"You did fine. Better than fine. It was flawless."

Brennan smiled. Looking over Booth's shoulder, she saw Angela and Hodgins dancing just a few yards away. Angela smiled at her best friend and whispered something in Hodgins ear. He pulled her closer and placed a kiss on her cheek. Back at the tables Sweets sat with Daisy, who was still eating between her constant chattering. They were talking, but Sweets kept glancing back at the couple every so often.

"Sweets is studying us again," Brennan observed.

"Figures," Booth said. "He is still convinced we are in love."

"Well then this probably isn't really helping then," Brennan said, and began to pull away.

Booth pulled her tight against his chest.

"Forget Sweets," he said in a low voice. "This is your big night. You found justice for Anok. You discovered a priceless treasure. And we were able to solve a murder. We put another killer behind bars."

"Yes, I know. Still. Why does he treat us like lab rats?"

"Because," Booth explained. "He is convinced we are destined to be together and will not stop until he is satisfied with the results of his study."

The song came to an end with the final note echoing throughout the ballroom. As it faded, Booth reluctantly let Brennan go, but she stayed close to him as the museum director stepped up to the mic and announced that the exhibit tour would begin in five minutes.

"Come on Bones," Booth said. He placed his hand on the small of her back as they walked toward the exhibit entrance. "Let's get to the exhibit before the crowd."

-B&B-

Nearly two hours later the exhibit hall was once again empty. Brennan and Booth walked through the empty hall together.

"This is amazing Bones," Booth said.

"Thank you. Again," she said, smiling. "But you do realize you have said that approximately fifteen times tonight?"

"Well it's true."

Brennan laughed. They reached the back of the exhibit. On the wall was an elegant painting of Anok, sitting on a beautiful white horse.

"Wow," Booth exhaled. "This is amazing. Did Angela do this?"

"Yes. This is what she has been working on while Daisy and I worked with the remains."

"She is good."

"Exceptionally good."

Booth looked all around the exhibit; he was still so amazed at what Brennan and her team could do. In the past five years the whole team had been through so much. It was a miracle they were still able to pull together in the way they were. He and Bones…that was just a whole different story. They'd been through way more than the average pair. He loved her, and he was fairly certain she felt the same way, but the last time he tried anything, it just ended in pain. She was so damn confusing sometimes!

"Booth…" her voice pulled him from his thoughts.

She trailed off, causing him to cast her a quizzical look. He took a step closer.

"What?"

"Earlier, when we were down here – before everybody else came down, you looked like you were about to kiss me."

_'WOW. Busted. Ok. Right to the point, as usual…' _Booth's mind was racing.

"Uh, y-yes, well, um, you see, I –"

"Booth," Brennan cut him off; she laughed lightly. "You are rambling."

Booth laughed nervously, taking a step closer to her. "Well Bones, you can't just call somebody out like that."

"Should I not have said anything?"

"No, no it's fine just…" he smiled. "Some warning next time would be good."

Brennan smiled, but didn't say anything. Booth knew she was still waiting for an answer to her original statement. He sighed.

"Fine. Yes. Yes I almost kissed you."

"Why didn't you? It was a good moment too, according to stories and examples Angela has told me."

Booth's signature goofy grin appeared once more.

"Well, everybody came downstairs and I don't exactly want to do that in front of everybody else."

"Ah. What goes on between us is ours," she said, quoting Booth. She stepped closer to him.

"Exactly," Booth said, taking another step closer. They were only centimeters apart now.

They stood in silence for a few seconds, just smiling.

"You looked beautiful tonight Bones," Booth whispered, brushing a stray strand of hair away from her eyes.

"Thank you. You looked very handsome yourself."

"I'm getting pretty good at this whole tux rental thing."

She laughed, "Yes, yes you are."

"Bones, about earlier…"

She arched one eyebrow.

"I'm sorry," he said. "You said you couldn't do this and I just about went for it anyway. I shouldn't have done that."

She just looked at him for a moment, not saying a word. Booth knew that look.

"What's on your mind Bones?" he finally asked.

"I just don't know why I said that," she sighed. "I guess… I guess I was afraid."

"Of what?" he wrapped his right arm around her, pulling her against him.

"Losing you," she whispered. "Booth if you were to change your mind or get hurt…I don't know what I would do…"

He leaned down so his lips just barely touched hers.

"Who said I would ever change my mind?"

And he kissed her. He brought his free hand up to gently cup the side of her face, while her hands found their way up around his neck. His tongue traced her bottom lip, asking permission which she gladly granted. She was the one to finally pull way, breathing heavily from lack of air. He traced kisses along her neck and across her jawline making his way over to her ear.

"I love you Bones," he whispered. "I've known that since the day I met you. I meant what I said outside of the Hoover that night. _I'm that guy._"

"I love you too Booth," she buried her face in his neck, taking in his scent. "But what do we do about the FBI? Will the allow us to continue to work together?"

"If they try to separate us they will lose their best agent and the best forensic team they've ever had," he said. "I will work with you and you only. If they have a problem…they can kiss my ass."

She smiled and looked up at him, "You would really quit your job just because they wouldn't let you work with me?"

"Yep," he nodded his head. "There are plenty of other things to do."

"But you love being in the FBI," she whispered.

"I love you more," he said before dipping his head to capture her lips in another passionate kiss.

"Well," she said after catching her breath again. "If they try anything I'll just have to have a word with them. Being a powerful scientist and author does have its advantages sometimes…"

Booth chuckled and took ahold of her hand.

"Come on," he said, kissing her cheek. "Let's go find everybody."

"Sweet's is going to be excited," Brennan commented.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Booth groaned. "If he starts asking really personal questions I'm going to have to shoot him."

"Booth…" Brennan's tone was stern, yet playful. "Just make sure you don't kill the kid. He's still so young."

Booth's laugh echoed throughout the empty hall. He leaned in for one more kiss and then they headed hand in hand back to the lab.

* * *

_Meh. I couldn't really think of a good way to end that._

_Reviews make me smile :)_

_Just let me know what you thought or what I should change._


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